Return to Me

January 5, 2015
Debut author Moran tries unsuccessfully to breathe life into a theme of second chances. The plot contains one tired cliché after another, beginning with the poor but honest girl from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for the handsome, wealthy scion of a prestigious political family. When Mia Galdon and Cole Covington were teen sweethearts in Wilmington, N.C., their romance was sabotaged by Cole’s tyrannical and snobbish mother. Ten years later, Mia’s a nurse who needs a job, and Cole needs help after sustaining serious injuries serving in Iraq. Now that they’re grown, it’s hard to understand why a tough military veteran would still have trouble withstanding parental pressure, so the plot devices are tedious. The most appealing part of this story is the warm and affectionate relationship between Mia and her younger sister, who has Down syndrome. Moran tries to show the healing power of time and love, as Mia recovers from betrayal and Cole from war trauma and loneliness, but the result is charmless and unconvincing. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

January 15, 2015
Two star-crossed lovers are reunited when she's hired to help him recover from war injuries, allowing them to revisit their past and start over.Mia has lived the past 10 years emotionally scarred from the night she gave herself, body and soul, to Cole Covington, the boy she thought she loved, only to have him immediately abandon her. Now a registered nurse, she's approached by Cole's sister, Lacey, to help him heal from combat wounds suffered in the Middle East. Mia resists but reconsiders when Lacey offers her long-term financial help, a welcome boost since she's responsible for her sister who has Down syndrome. Of course, helping Cole means guarding her heart and shoring up all her defenses. She fell for the rich boy before, only to be used and tossed aside, so she knows better than to be caught under his spell a second time. Yet the angry, wounded soldier is nothing like the impish, charming teenager she knew, and when the truth is revealed regarding the tragic and devastating night that forced them apart, Mia might lose herself again to the reluctant hero. Fighting for their happiness, Cole and Mia have to sift through 10 years' worth of secrets and extricate themselves from past misunderstandings and guilt. In a generally satisfying series launch that includes a number of popular romance tropes-including rich boy/poor girl; wounded soldier; betrayed lovers; and simmering secrets-Moran successfully juggles emotions and characters, the past and the present. Though the novel is touching and gratifying, there are a few missteps. Readers might wonder why Mia was so quick to believe Cole had abandoned her, given that they swore their devotion only minutes before, and once they've basically reconciled, their problems don't seem as insurmountable as they make them out to be. Moran's ability to create romantic and psychological tension makes us care about the characters and root for their happily-ever-after.

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February 15, 2015
Over the course of several summers, rich kid Cole Covington and Mia Galdon, the daughter of one of his family's maids, fell in love. Then, one terrible night 10 years ago, everything changed. Since then, Mia has become a nurse and is doing the best she can to support herself and her sister, Ginny, who has Down syndrome. When she receives a call from Cole's sister, Lacey, begging her to be Cole's private nurse, Mia is in no position to turn her down. Cole was badly wounded in Afghanistan and is also suffering from severe PTSD. Mia's tough-love approach seems to be working, but can she survive nursing him back to health without falling in love with him all over again? Fans of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series and second-chance romances will fall for the love story between this determined heroine and her tortured hero in the first book in Moran's Covington Cove series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)